Z Software

It's been a big start to 2025, and we’ve been hard at work building and releasing your most requested features. This month has seen a major new feature release – Zeller Bill at Table – as well as several other exciting enhancements and updates to help you get paid more smoothly when using Zeller POS Lite . Read on to learn more about what’s new at Zeller this April. Accept cash payments with Zeller POS Lite. While card transactions are by far the preferred payment method for most Australians, we’ve now enabled you to also record physical cash sales when you’re using Zeller POS Lite from Zeller Terminal or App. To record cash as the tendered option in a transaction, simply select the items to be sold as usual, and then select “cash” as the tender for payment. Key in how much has been paid in physical cash, and provide customers with an itemised receipt. If your customers choose to tip with physical cash (e.g. “You keep the change”), this can now be recorded too. The option to record cash sales in Zeller POS Lite is controllable by site, and turned off by default. Simply activate this option in ‘Settings’ on both Zeller Terminal 2 and Zeller App . Also, watch this space – more features related to how you manage and report cash payments are coming soon! Process 100% discounts on items sold with Zeller POS Lite. Applying a discount to an item sold using Zeller POS Lite is now even easier, as we’ve added the ability to offer a 100% discount (or a $0 sale) in the event you’re supplying a giveaway, offering a free gift with purchase, or issuing warranty receipts. By being able to record items discounted by 100% with Zeller POS Lite on your terminal or Zeller App, you’ll benefit from clearer inventory reconciliation and a much more accurate view of your total items sold in any time period. Present the bill and accept payment tableside seamlessly with Zeller Bill at Table. Restaurants can now present diners with itemised bills displayed directly on Zeller Terminal 's large digital screen, and then instantly accept payment tableside. Zeller Bill at Table allows customers to settle their bill quickly, split payments effortlessly and tip with ease, making for happier diners and faster table turnover. In fact, Zeller Bill at Table is proven to help restaurants turn tables up to 73% faster from bill request to out-the-door. As Ben Hickey from The Roosevelt in Sydney  said, “More covers means more revenue". Learn more about Zeller Bill at Table here . Enhanced site management from Zeller App. Merchants with multiple business locations can now manage their sites directly from within Zeller App, including site-specific features such as surcharging, GST, tipping, receipt and terminal customisation. This makes it easier for you to make instant changes to site settings – for example, enabling tipping for a pop-up restaurant, or switching off tipping prompts when the lunch rush hits – when you’re on the go, rather than having to log into your Zeller Dashboard from a desktop computer. Smarter item management with Zeller Invoices. Time-saving functionality that was originally developed for Zeller POS Lite (and proved very popular) has now also been added to item management on Zeller Invoices. This includes improved handling of attributes and discounts, plus new support for item modifiers, too. The navigation of Zeller Invoices has also had a refresh, with a sleek new side menu that allows you to browse or create items, complete with unit price, quantity, and description. You can also now toggle GST on or off, apply discounts, and reorder items on your invoice via drag and drop, making it easier than ever to create and send customised invoices that help you get paid faster. Try out these new features today. To test these new additions, simply log in to your Zeller Dashboard , or try them out with Zeller POS Lite from Zeller Terminal or App. If you have ideas for other features, send them through to us at feedback@myzeller.com . We love to hear what our merchants would like to see from us, and are proud to say that the majority of this month’s releases have been developed and launched based upon feedback we’ve heard from you.

Learn how to successfully pivot your menu to takeaway. The introduction of social distancing and caps on the number of in-restaurant diners has forced many restauranteurs, bars, and cafés to heavily rely on takeaway and delivery services in order to survive. Where takeaway used to refer to fast-food staples such as pizza or fish and chips, in recent years it has evolved to become so much more. From finish-at-home meals through to pre-mixed cocktails, the options are endless. Thanks to the pandemic, even some of Australia’s most exclusive fine dining institutions have had to pivot to takeaway in order to stay in business. For the staff at Seville Estate, it's been a way to keep spirits high. “It’s the best way to help people keep busy and employed — staff retention is incredibly important for us, especially in this climate," says Dylan McMahon, General Manager at Seville Estate. "Doing Seville at Home was a great way for staff to stay connected, with each other and with our customers. It’s been good for morale, as well as the business.” Put simply, takeaway is a good alternative to traditional service — one that keeps customers happy, cash flowing into your business, and staff busy. Considering pivoting your dine-in menu to takeaway? Here are six considerations to make your offering a success. 1. Make your menu visually appealing When a customer dines in, they can rely on their senses; following their eyes and nose to select the right meal for them. However, with takeaway, customers don’t get that first glimpse. Instead, it’s the menu that has to sell them on your offering. For this reason, your menu must do justice to your food. This is where it pays to invest in quality food photography. Good imagery makes the best first impression for takeaway customers. More often than not, browsing images on Facebook and Instagram is how they decide who gets their business. After all, the camera eats first. These days, choosing where to dine often comes down to aesthetics — and this is particularly true when dealing with takeaway. The benefit to you is that, if you can translate the taste visually, you will likely see higher rates of upsizing and impulse buying. To get your menu in people’s hands, we recommend you serve up at least two high-quality food images to your socials each week — and make sure they best resemble the meals that will be delivered to customers (or you could face disgruntled diners). If you're offering a weekly special, make sure customers can see what it looks like. 2. Write clear and enticing menu descriptions While it pays to have delicious imagery, it’s just as important to paint a tasty picture with words. Not just because they can disclose ingredients you can’t see in the pictures, but because it can pre-empt customer enquiries about dietary requirements — making the order experience more seamless. When dining in person, a customer can quickly ask a waiter for information about a dish. With takeaway, the customer doesn’t have this luxury — which is why it’s best to make your menu as descriptive as possible. List all of the ingredients and allergy warnings so customers can feel confident placing an order with you. When other eateries don’t extend the same courtesy, you may find you quickly become the takeaway venue of choice. Another way to bring more clarity to your menu is by creating clear food categories. These will pave a clearer path to purchase because people can quickly find what they’re looking for, whether it’s a dessert, meal deal, drink or side. Some venues are more creative with their categories, and include things such as the length of time it will take to cook, or spice level for example. 3. Recreate dining out experiences As Australians, we have always celebrated our rich and vibrant food scene by eating out. It’s an immersive experience that treats our senses to great flavours, irresistible scents, good company, and buzzing atmospheres. It’s also something many have sorely missed during the pandemic — and recreating these experiences is something that could help you win more business from nostalgic diners. One way you can tap into the love of communal experiences is by shaping set menus designed to be enjoyed together. Not only will this bring a refreshing novelty to your offering, but you can include a strategic combination of meals with high-profit margins — allowing you to capitalise on various themes. You might, for example, consider a Sunday Dinner dining pack — or a picnic pack, to be enjoyed outdoors, as restrictions ease. Consider what small but strategic adjustments you could make to your menu to recreate communal experiences. 4. Offer dishes that travel well While it’s important to have a delicious offering, it’s just as important to ensure that what you’re promising your customers accurately reflects what they’ll be eating. For example, if a customer orders a beautifully intricate dessert complete with chocolate smears and a scoop of gelato — that’s what they’ll expect. It’s up to you to get the gelato into their hands without melting. To ensure your final product doesn’t disappoint, you should either choose dishes that can hold their shape in transit or provide instructions and materials for assembly at the other end. It’s also important that you have the right insulated carry bags and boxes on hand to keep meals at their optimal temperatures. Cold dishes are a common drawback of takeaway so, where possible, make sure foods can be wrapped securely to trap heat and stored in quality packaging that won’t disintegrate or compromise the quality of your meals while your delivery driver is out making the rounds. Of course, if diners are picking up, the logistics are less of a concern. 5. Determine the perfect delivery method The important thing to remember is that when it comes to transporting your deliveries, you have a choice as to how it’s done. You may choose to partner with major food delivery services, however delivery fees can into profit margins.  Alternatively, you could offer delivery yourself — or only offer pickup. Should you choose to integrate your own delivery service, it’s important that you’re aware of the liability, tax implications, safety requirements, payment options, and COVID-safe measures required — because there are a lot. If you decide to offer pickup only, you’ll benefit from the cost savings of sidestepping delivery. Plus, your meals will be fresher when they reach your customers.  Of course, when lockdown measures are in place, this means customers outside of your local area can't support your business. Some eateries have explored creative solutions to this conundrum — the most popular of which is 'hot suburb' delivery, whereby orders are placed in advance and then delivered to a specific area in one go. This expands the reach of your business, and opens it up to new customers. Whatever you decide, it’s extremely important that you communicate the COVID-safe measures you have in place to ensure the smooth and safe transfer of meals, helping people feel confident in ordering with you. 6. Make the transaction seamless There’s nothing worse than going through the ordering process only to find that a venue is cash-only on delivery or pickup. Do your customers a favour and make your payment process effortless — that way you’ll leave them satisfied and increase the rate of conversion in the process. With Zeller Terminal , you have three options: Carry it with you and take payment upon delivery. Manually enter card details to complete payment over the phone. Take contactless, curbside payment upon pickup. Zeller Terminal is a fully mobile EFTPOS machine, which can be connected to the internet via WiFi, personal hotspot or SIM Card . Now that you’re across all the ways you can optimise your takeaway offering, sign up to our Zeller Business Blog to cash in on valuable insights sent straight to your inbox. Ready to get started with Zeller? Sign up for free

Passing on an EFTPOS transaction fee to your customer is called 'surcharging', and it's increasingly becoming a cost-saving measure for businesses navigating a tough economy. Surcharging on EFTPOS payments is legal in Australia, but there are stringent rules to ensure businesses don’t charge more than they should. With every card payment comes a fee, and whose side of the fence that should fall on – that of the customer or the merchant – is still up for debate. If you'd like to learn more about Zeller's position on surcharging, see here. In this article, we break down the practice of surcharging to  you make an informed decision for your business. Read on to learn more about surcharging, the business types that use it most, what rules you need to abide by, and how you can enable surcharging on your Zeller Terminal. When are surcharges applied? The idea of asking customers to cover the transaction fee when they choose to pay via card is not new. We’ve all been in the situation where we’ve ended up buying something we didn’t need, purely to reach a business’s minimum EFTPOS requirement. The minimum card spend was introduced as a way for businesses to discourage customers from paying on card, so that they could avoid paying the transaction fee. At a time when people also held cash in their wallets, this practice made sense, but it’s fast becoming outdated, and frankly very frustrating. According to a 2023 report by the Reserve Bank of Australia , 76% of all payments in 2022 were made on card. It’s becoming increasingly counterproductive and costly for businesses to ask customers to pay with cash, and yet, someone still has to foot the bill for EFTPOS payments. This is where surcharging comes in. Where is surcharging prevalent? Surcharging is more prevalent in service industries. In the food and drink industry our data indicates that nearly 60% of hospitality businesses have chosen to enable surcharging on electronic payments. This is followed by the transportation and beauty sectors where approximately 40% of businesses are choosing to pass on their transaction costs to the customer. The importance of understanding your cost of acceptance. Before we get into the regulations surrounding surcharging, it’s important to understand how EFTPOS transactions work . When a customer uses a card or mobile wallet to make a purchase, a number of fees are charged between your bank (or payment provider), your customer's bank and the payment card network (eg. Visa, Mastercard, or American Express). The fee that you are charged to process the payment is entirely dependent on the type of card your customer uses, and may range between 0.2% and 3.5% dependent upon which payment services provider you've selected. Additionally, your bank may charge you monthly EFTPOS terminal rental fees, account-keeping fees, or monthly service fees (learn more about The True Cost of EFTPOS Transaction Fees here ). Together, these fees make up what is known as the ‘total cost of acceptance’, that is, the expense incurred to accept a card payment. Unless you are using a service such as Zeller, which keeps things simple with one low, flat fee of 1.4% per card-present payment, it can be extremely difficult to calculate your cost of acceptance. Why this is important, is because, should you choose to pass on the cost to your customer, you legally cannot pass on a charge greater than the one you incur. In order to curb excessive surcharging, the Reserve Bank of Australia introduced the following legal obligations: Your surcharge cannot exceed your cost of acceptance You must review your cost of acceptance at least once every year As a merchant, you have a responsibility to check your annual statement, to ensure your surcharge remains less than — or equal to — your cost of acceptance, and set your surcharge for the following year based on what you discover. For Matt Bisaro, who runs Floral Craftsman in Sydney’s affluent suburb of Mosman, having one low, flat rate meant that he didn’t have to turn away customers wanting to use American Express, which traditionally incurs a much higher transaction fee. Is surcharging right for my business? As public perception around surcharging is not typically positive, it’s always important to tread with caution so as not to get customers offside. When weighing up whether surcharging is right for your business, consider the following: Gauge whether surcharging is commonplace in your local area and within your industry. If so, it’s likely customers won’t even bat an eyelid at having to pay the extra few cents. Ensure you are providing a smooth payment experience. If you’re charging customers for using a card, the payment process must be quick and effortless. Adding a surcharge on top of things like connectivity issues and processing delays will undoubtedly lead to frustration. Make sure you display appropriate signage. Your surcharge signage must be clear and in public view, and where relevant should display the percentage or amount of the surcharge. Zeller Terminal keeps things transparent by displaying the surcharge on-screen during the payment process. The alternative to surcharging? Find a lower EFTPOS transaction fee. After taking into consideration your industry, your location, and your customers, you might decide that surcharging is not for you, which is completely reasonable. However, avoiding EFTPOS transaction fees altogether is becoming increasingly difficult as customers move away from cash. It’s therefore more important than ever to reassess your EFTPOS solution to ensure you are getting the best deal. With Zeller Terminal, you can own your EFTPOS machine outright, and will only be charged one low flat fee of 1.4% per in-person card payment. No hidden costs, no lock-in contracts. You can also speak to the Zeller Sales team about an even lower custom transaction fee, if your business is processing over $250K annually in card payments. How do I start surcharging? If you’re already using Zeller, surcharging can be enabled simply by toggling on the feature on Zeller Terminal or on your Dashboard. If you are not using Zeller, you will need to check with your bank or payment provider. Bear in mind, some merchant services will only allow you to enable surcharging if you can meet minimum turnover thresholds every month, or will require you to sign a contract that locks you into using the functionality. At Zeller, we believe in giving merchants the flexibility to run their business in the way that suits them best. That means having the ability to pass on your EFTPOS transaction fees in full or in part, and to turn the functionality on or off whenever you want to. There’s no contract to sign, or hoops to jump through. To learn how to enable surcharging and recover your EFTPOS transaction fee in full click here . To learn how to partially recover your EFTPOS transaction fee with a percentage surcharge click here.